Even A Heavy Dose of Courage Won't Help These Lions

"Forget flying monkeys, I'm most terrified of the Blue Crew."

After taking a short break from the Sweet, Sweet Revenge tour to remind Howard that we'll never be at the very bottom of the DC Division 1 heap, we're back in action later today to pay back the Lions of Columbia University for the narrow 56-51 loss they handed us last year in New York. It was our first loss to Columbia in four tries, and I am confident that our record against the Cowardly Lions will stand at 4-1 if we can play to our full potential this afternoon. However, this will not be the easy W that many might predict against a middle-of-the-pack Ivy League opponent, and here's why:

• Although the Lions are 2-3 on the young season, their blistering offense is averaging over 79 ppg, more than 13 above our average. However, we're holding opponents to 56 ppg, so there's a good chance we can ruin some of Columbia's statistical bragging rights.
• Junior guard Noruwa Agho is averaging 21 ppg, which is incidentally the same number of points he posted against us in our meeting last season (he still, however, averages less than Vlad)
• Columbia steamrolled our only common opponent, UMES, 108-74 two days before we struggled against them on our home court. Of course, every team has off games, and on paper we were totally capable of blowing them out as well. We must be wary not to be complacent against the Lions.
• Columbia just crushed fellow Patriot League member Colgate 76-63. The Lions are 4-1 versus the Patriot League dating back to the beginning of last season. It's time to put an end to this.
• Columbia was one of the few mid-major opponents to defeat us in the post-Vlad portion of our out-of-conference schedule last season. We know how much of an impact player Vlad was, so losing to the Lions after he became eligible (and blew away DePaul) was disappointing, and I am sure he is itching to turn the tides this year with even more support.

Our challenges are pretty clear, and if we treat Columbia as we treated UMES or Howard, it will not be an easy game for us. Coach Jones has without a doubt been lighting a fire under everyone's behinds this week, as he told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday. Luckily, Columbia's lineup is relatively unchanged from last year, where it came down to the wire without the advantage of playing in Bender Arena. While most the Blue Crew will still be returning from Thanksgiving break, the home court atmosphere will definitely help. 

I'll also state again that we need to use our size against the Lions. Columbia, like many teams at our level, is small and guard-oriented. Their only real force in the post is 6'6" senior forward Asenso Ampim, who scored 18 points against us last season. As I've stated far too many times this season, we need to take our time and not blindly shoot threes when there are still 25 seconds left on the clock. If we can dish inside to Lumpkins, who currently sports the second highest field goal percentage in the Patriot League, we can likely play right over the heads of the smaller Lions. At the same time, we need to defend the perimeter, as Columbia is making 40% of its shots from downtown. If we can continue to run the top defense in the Patriot League and play a good transition game, we should be able to keep things at our pace and not let the Lions break away. If they do, I don't like our chances. 

Per usual, I also have my fingers crossed that we'll see some solid offensive output from the backcourt. Columbia's top players are their guards, and if Danny, Steve, and Simon can play solid D, then they are doing all they need to do. However, if they can hit some key shots (Danny especially has shown some flashes of brilliance from the 3), we can absolutely stay ahead. Of course, if Troy continues to find his groove (if you missed it, he posted his first double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds against Howard, with 21 of those points from beyond the arc), and Vlad and Lump are as unstoppable as ever, then that tried-and-true trifecta should truly show the Lions that they're not in Kansas any more. Fortunately, we've had four days off since our last outing at Howard, which is more than we've had between games so far this season, so with any luck we'll be rested enough to easily skip down the yellow brick road to a 6-0 record. 

We'll also be holding the banner for the entire Patriot League this week, which went 0-5 on Saturday in what might just be the worst day for Patriot League basketball all season. Most important of all, if we win, we'll be 6-0 for the first time since the 1958-59 season, when we were still in Division II (then called the College Division). If you were an Eagles fan back in '58, then by all means today's win will be for you. 

There you go, folks. If you're in town (or just returning), then make a point of being in Bender Arena at 2 PM. Our Eagles will need all the support they can get from the greatest fans in the League (both Patriot and Ivy). Let's show them how we're the LOUDEST, PROUDEST, and BLUEST group they'll face all season, and send them back to New York quivering in their warmups. If you can't make it to the game, we'll be occasionally tweeting from Bender Arena, and with any luck running a liveblog as well. If that fails, then make sure to tune in to Federal News Radio 1500 AM for the play-by-play with Dan Laing. See you there!

Pro Deo Et Patria and GO EAGLES!

Josh